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Health Equity Director | Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Indiana
Darryl Lockett is passionate about combating racial and socioeconomic disparities in education, business, politics and health care. As an adviser to the president of the AARP Foundation in Washington, D.C., he tackled senior poverty. As executive director of the Kennedy King Memorial Initiative in Indianapolis, he helped develop public-private partnerships to address issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. Now, at Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Indiana—which works with the state to administer the Hoosier Healthwise, Hoosier Care Connect and Healthy Indiana Plan insurance programs for more than 700,000 Medicaid beneficiaries—he finds the gaps in health care. He identifies inequities in health outcomes among different populations of people in the state and builds partnerships to address the shortcomings, whether the factors are unstable housing, inadequate transportation, food insecurity or economic instability. “I have the ability to personally engage those who are closest to the issues yet often excluded from decision-making,” he said. He uses their experiences to influence how Anthem initiatives take shape. “I smile knowing my efforts will give someone a more fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible.”
Getting here: He earlier had worked with Anthem leadership on community initiatives and knew their commitment toward improving the health of Hoosiers. “The health equity director role was a natural transition for me to build upon my varied experiences and personal passions,” Lockett said.
First job: custard-maker at Ritter’s Frozen Custard
Mentor: Milt Thompson, an Indianapolis entrepreneur, civic leader and philanthropist. “I appreciate that he is unapologetic about his faith; passionate about people [regardless] of politics, race or religion; and that he has never been deterred by the things that have not been done before, rather seeing those as the things to try,” Lockett said.
Givebacks: Lockett is education task force chair for the Indianapolis Professional Association, managing partner of the Kennedy King Memorial Initiative, an advisory board member of the NEXT Community Impact Fund and a local organizing committee member of the Horizon League basketball tournament. He also serves on the InnoPower Minority Business Conference committee.
Advice: “Develop a genuine love for learning. The earlier the better.”•
Check out more Forty Under 40 honorees.
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